Technology Design
by Christopher Chan
Implementing a robotic walker raises substantial issues in computing and design. Although computers are, in numerous ways, capable of fully automating a task (though not necessarily successfully), potential users may not appreciate the loss of control. The following papers examine barriers to user adoption from the standpoint of control systems and the integration of a user's goals with the goals of the walker.
The papers also illustrate how user adoption can be influenced by social and cultural factors. The widespread use of a robotic walker may depend on the attractiveness of the device as much as its functionality. Design of such technology should examine the milieu in which aging occurs or risk rejection or non-use of the technology. Designers should be aware of the environment, both physical and cultural, as well as the cognitive capacities of elderly users.
- Blythe, M., Reed, D., Wright, P., and Monk, A. Critical Perspectives On Dependability: An Older Person's Experience of Assistive Technology. Proceedings of the 4th Decennial Conference on Critical Computing: 169-172. 2005
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The dependability of a device encompasses more than the mechanical or technical robustness of the device. Social, cultural, and environmental factors should be considered in addition to the technical and personal dependability of the device. Elderly users should not be stigmatized by cultural factors, such as the look of the device.
- Desmet, P. and Dijkhuis, E. A Wheelchair can be Fun: A Case of Emotion-driven Design. Proceedings of the International Conference on Designing Pleasurable Products and Interfaces: 22-27. 2003.
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This paper discusses emotion-driven design, specifically regarding children's wheelchairs. An emotional approach may provide insight into what stigmatizes wheelchairs. The approach in this paper can help designers understand the wishes of users and provide a design that users do not find embarrassing.
- Forlizzi, J. Robotic Products to Assist the Aging Population. Interactions, Vol. 12, No. 2: 16-18. 2005.
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The social experience of robots needs to be taken into account when inserting robotic technology into the "ecology of aging." Social dynamics play an important role. Technologies should account for the adaptations the elderly may make when parts of the ecology break down. (Example: no longer being able to drive.)
- Hawthorn, D. How Universal is Good Design for Older Users? Proceedings of the Conference on Universal Usability: 38-45. 2003.
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The paper shows the "multiple considerations [that] influence interface design decisions when designing of older users." Although the paper primarily deals with an email client, the conclusions are applicable to any system with a visual interface to a computer.
- Hirsch, T., Forlizzi, J., Hyder, E., Goetz, J., Kurtz, C., and Stroback, J. The ELDer Project: Social, Emotional, and Environmental Factors in the Design of Eldercare Technologies. Proceedings on the Conference on Universal Usability: 72-79. 2000.
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An effective assistive technology needs to be more than functional - the technology should be desirable and attractive. Acknowledging aesthetics helps widen the appeal of such devices, and in turn, a wider user base de-stigmatizes usage of the device. An example is the use of scooters over wheelchairs; the scooters are "styled to be fun and sporty."
- Levine, S., Bell, D., Jaros, L., Simpson, R., Koren, Y., and Borenstein, J. The NavChair Assistive Wheelchair Navigation system. IEEE Transactions on Rehabilitation Engineering, Vol. 7, No. 4: 443-451. 1999.
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The NavChair is a "smart" wheelchair that has three modes: "obstacle avoidance, door passage, and automatic wall following." The performance is adequate due to the restrictions placed by the need for obstacle avoidance. Avoiding obstacles forces the wheelchair to require a special mode of doors (which consists of two obstacles placed in a relatively narrow space). Users need to be able to reach sinks or tables are well, destinations hindered by the use of obstacle avoidance.
- Maciuszek, D., Aberg, J., and Shahmehri, N. What Help Do Older People Need? Constructing a Functional Design Space of Electronic Assistive Technology Applications. Proceedings of the 7th international ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility: 4-11. 2005.
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When designing assistive technology, the actual needs of the users should be considered. There is a tension between carers, who would prefer more automation, and users, who might prefer less automation (a guide). The results of a field study indicate needs that might be handled through electronic assistive technologies.
- Morris, A., Donamukkala, R., Kapuria, A., Steinfeld, A., Matthews, J.T., Dunbar-Jacob, J., and Thrun, S. A Robotic Walker That Provides Guidance. Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation: 25-30. 2003.
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[Previous work by Judith Matthews on a robotic walker.] Communication between the user and the robot is important if the robot has an active role in directing motion. Simple communication (an arrow) was much less confusing than complex communication (maps and goals).
- Mynatt, E., Essa, I., and Rogers, W. Increasing the Opportunities for Aging in Place. Proceedings on the Conference of Universal Usability: 65-71. 2000.
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This paper presents an overall perspective from Human Computer Interaction (HCI) on aging. As aging does not impact all physical and cognitive abilities equally, designers must be aware of those limitations. The authors suggest ways "everyday computing" may be used to support cognitive changes.
- Wasson, G., Gunderson, J., Graves, S., and Felder, R. An Assistive Robotic Agent for Pedestian Mobility. Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Autonomous Agents: 169-173. 2001.
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Assistive technologies must allow users to remain in control. The robotic agent should not assume goals independently of the user - rather, the agent should determine what the user is trying to achieve and support them. To improve quality of life, the agent should still require effort from the user.
- Wasson, G., Sheth, P., Alwan, M., Granata, K., Ledoux, A., and Cunjun H. User Intent in a Shared Control Framework for Pedestrian Mobility Aids. Proceedings of the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems: 2962-2967. 2003.
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A robotic walker will need to have a control mechanism available to the user. In a walker, the user simply controls the whole process. Here, results from force sensors embedded in the handles of a walker show that the overall turning moment is correlated with intent to turn. The intent of the user should be part of the control system of the robotic walker.
- Yu, H., Spenko, M., and Dubowsky, S. An Adaptive Shared Control System for an Intelligent Mobility Aid for the Elderly. Autonomous Robots, Vol. 15, No. 1: 53-66. 2003.
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The Personal Aids for Mobility and Monitoring (PAMM) SmartCane and SmartWalker are presented here. The system uses ceiling mounted signs and a camera to determine the location of the user. Three control systems are field tested: a free driving mode, an assisted mode, and a full computer control mode. Users could not distinguish between the free and assisted modes, but complained about the full computer control mode. The system can be tuned for individual users based on their capabilities.
Health and Medical
by Jana Diesner
Warm up: Medicare will allow a walker/rollator every 5 years. They cover 80% of the allowed amount set by Medicare. This is usually about $130.00. Regardless of whether your rollator cost $150 or $350, the reimbursement amount is basically the same.
On a very general level, I learned two key items from my paper review:
Any kind of exercise or physical activity guided by the Robotic Walker needs to be individually and professionally prescribed. Therefore, any modules or technologies on the Robotic Walker need to facilitate individual adjustments and data exchange with a health care professional.
Exercise, especially walking, improves balance. Thus, if the Robotic Walker facilitates or stimulates walking, the balance issue can be simultaneously addressed.
Following, please find my references. They are grouped by the topics that I focused on, and include a few points on what the findings might imply for the Robotic Walker.
Walking and Exercise
How much does exercise improve life quality for aging people?
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2002). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Physical activity and older Americans: benefits and strategies. Accessed October 26, 2006, at:
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Substantial health benefits occur with a moderate amount of a regular routine of activity (e.g., at least 30 minutes of brisk walking on 5 or more days of the week). Older adults may have trouble getting to facilities and programs, and facilities may not provide adequate training and monitoring.
What this might imply for the Robotic Walker Project:
Following the finding that the most promising methods for improving aging people’s health conditions include patient goal setting, precise and individually tailored exercise prescriptions and followup, the Robotic Walker might needed to be equipped with a log tool that can transmit data to the patient’s primary care physician, and can adjust itself to instructions sent back to the patient by a doctor.
- Keysor, J.J. (2003). Does late-life physical activity or exercise prevent or minimize disablement?: A critical review of the scientific evidence. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 25(3,2): 129-136.
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Exercise, particularly walking, increases muscle strength, aerobic capacity and reduces functional limitations. The majority of experimental studies did not show that physical activity or exercise did improve physical disability.
What this might imply for the Robotic Walker Project:
Technology that stimulates walking might be beneficial for the client’s health.
Target group for walking activities should not be disabled people, but people who can still walk and/ or exercise.
- Boslaugh, S.E., & Andresen, E.M. (2006). Correlates of physical activity for adults with disability. Preventing chronic disease 3(3):A78.
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Only one fourth of the study population met the recommendation for moderate activity level, and disabled aging people do not meeting basic recommendations for physical activity. Some correlates of physical activity found in general populations are also related to activity level for people with disability (age, general health, race), whereas others (sex, education level) are not.
What this might imply for the Robotic Walker Project:
Different groups of people physically would benefit most from different amounts of exercise. Thus, the Robotic Walker’s should not only support walking, but should have a module that allows adjustment for different amounts of activity.
- McDermott, A.Y., & Mernitz, H. (2006). Exercise and older patients: prescribing guidelines. American Family Physician. 74(3):437-44.
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Increased daily activity, especially aerobics, strength training, and flexibility exercises can reduce medication dependence and health care costs while improving quality of life. But in order to better benefit from exercise people need to be given prescriptions that include recommendations on frequency, intensity, type, time, and progression of exercise that follow disease-specific guidelines, as well as motivational strategies, such as goal-setting, self-monitoring, and problem-solving education.
What this might imply for the Robotic Walker Project:
A standard over-the-counter Robotic Walker might not be helpful, unless it is equipped with the data transfer and communication module that allows the user to interact with health care professionals and adjustment of the walker’s capabilities to the patient’s idiosyncrasies.
Walking and Exercise
Are aging people able to perform computer-guided exercise?
- Kressig, R.W., & Echt, K.V. (2002) Exercise Prescribing. Computer Application in Older Adults . Gerontologist 42:273-277.
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The 34 college-educated volunteers, equal numbers of men and women, ranging in age from 60 to 87 were willing and physically and cognitively able to interact with a computerized exercise promotion interface, independently of previous compute usage. Participants in the study were able to complete the computerized their exercise program ina reasonable amount of time and with minimal assistance from the provider.
What this might imply for the Robotic Walker Project:
Elderly people are able and willing to learn new interactive technologies that guide them through physical exercise.
I understand that this article overlaps with Computer Science, Design.
Walking and Exercise
What about alternatives?
- Thorpe, R.J. Jr., Simonsick, E.M., Brach J.S., Ayonayon H., Satterfield S., Harris T.B., Garcia M., & Kritchevsky, S.B. (2006). Dog ownership, walking behavior, and maintained mobility in late life. Journal of the American Geriatric Society 54(9):1419-24.
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Study shows general suboptimal walking activity in older adults. Although dog ownership appears to facilitate walking behavior, only a minority of older dog owners walk their dogs. The mobility advantage of dog ownership was seen only in dog walkers and was similar to that associated with any walking.
What this might imply for the Robotic Walker Project:
Older adults should be engaged in more walking.
The Robotic Walker will only do any good if the user walks around with it.
The Robotic Walker needs to be more motivating than a dog to engage older adults in walking more. It also would need to be cheaper than a dog (assuming that I dog is less than $130.00, which is the maximum reimbursement for a walker through medicare).
Walking and Exercise
What about specific needs?
- Wong, C.H., Wong, S.F., Pang, W.S., Azizah. M.Y., & Dass, M.J. (2003). Habitual Walking and Its Correlation to Better Physical Function: Implications for Prevention of Physical Disability in Older Persons. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 58:M555-M560.
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This observational study among 123 predominantly ethnic Chinese participants aged 50 years and older showed that elderly people with a higher self-reported walking level had a better peak oxygen consumption. Interpedently from any exercise, men had a lower body fat composition, better peak oxygen consumption and stronger handgrip than women.
What this might imply for the Robotic Walker Project:
There are gender-specific needs: The Robotic Walker might need to engage women stronger in physical exercise than men, and would need to address women’s weaker handgrip.
- Holviala, J.H., Sallinen, J.M., Kraemer, W.J., Alen, M.J., & Hakkinen, K.K. (2006). Effects of strength training on muscle strength characteristics, functional capabilities, and balance in middle-aged and older women. Journal of strength and conditioning research 20(2):336-44.
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This study indicates that exercise, specifically total body heavy resistance training (weight lifting) and explosive dynamic training (acceleration) contribute to improvements in dynamic balance capacity in aging women, among other factors. These techniques can be applied in rehabilitation or preventive exercise protocols.
What this might imply for the Robotic Walker Project:
For women, there might be a component added that allows for some weight lifting. Adding such a component might be cheap yet significantly improving the value of the Robotic Walker.
Exercise improves balance.
Balance
How beneficial is help with balance?
- Freedman, V.A., Hodgson, N., Lynn, J., Spillman, B.C., Waidmann, T., Wilkinson, A.M., & Wolf, D.A. (2006). Promoting declines in the prevalence of late-life disability: comparisons of three potentially high-impact interventions. Milbank Q. 84(3): 493-520.
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Comparative review of three potentially high-impact interventions strategies for preventing late-life disability: physical activity, depression screening and treatment, and fall prevention. Multi-component fall-prevention efforts would likely have a higher impact than either of the other two methods.
What this might imply for the Robotic Walker Project:
Focus on fall-prevention rather than exercise and walking.
This one contradicts with the previous findings.
Balance
How beneficial is a Robotic Walker in comparison to exercise?
- Brauera, S.G., Woollacotta, M., & Shumway-Cookb, A. (2001). The Interacting Effects of Cognitive Demand and Recovery of Postural Stability in Balance-Impaired Elderly Persons. Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 56: M 489-M496.
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Recovery from balance disturbances is slower, less efficient and need attentionally more demanding for balance-impaired elderly people who simultaneously recover and perform a cognitive task (verbal reaction time to auditory tones) than it is for non-balance-impaired elderly people. The ability of healthy elderly individuals to recover was not influenced by concurrent task demands.
What this might imply for the Robotic Walker Project:
Thus, balance-impaired elderly individuals should not be exposed to any second stimulus from the Robotic Walker while being helped with their balance.
Non balance-impaired elderly individuals can be exposed to multiple inputs from the Robotic Walker without negatively impacting their balance.
Balance
What precisely prevents falling?
- Gillespie, L.D., Gillespie, W.J., Robertson, M.C., Lamb, S.E., Cumming, R.G., & Rowe, BH. (2001). Interventions for preventing falls in elderly people. The Cochrane Library 2.
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Significant findings with respect to Robotic Walker: Falling significantly prevented by individually and professionally prescribed muscle strengthening and balance retraining, home hazard modification only for people with a history of falling, and a 15 week Tai Chi group course. Interventions of unknown effectiveness are group-delivered exercises, individual lower limb strength training, cognitive/behavioral approach alone and correction of visual deficiency.
What this might imply for the Robotic Walker Project:
For people with a history of falling it needs to be made sure that a walker does not enhance home hazards.
Walking needs to be combined with training of other muscles.
Social activity
What type of socializing is most beneficial to aging people?
- Konlaan, B.B., Bygren, L.O., & Johansson, S.E. (2000). Visiting the cinema, concerts, museums or art exhibitions as determinant of survival: a Swedish fourteen-year cohort follow-up. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health 28(3):174-8.
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Results form this interview-based study suggest that old people who visited the cinema, concerts, museums, or art exhibitions have a lower mortality risk than those who engage in these activities more often. Attending theatre, church service or sports event as a spectator as well as reading or music making did not lead to any beneficial effect on longevity.
What this might imply for the Robotic Walker Project:
A GPS navigator or an alternative type of map or information providing module should focus on certain types of cultural institutions and events.
Law
by Brian Hirshman
Policy and public policy can have a significant impact on technological development and societal acceptance of a new technology. Robotic walkers are no exception. Though policy makers have not yet addressed the robotic walker, past policies and past responses can hint at how the government and society will respond to its introduction. The documents below deal with current policies that are likely to affect the development of the robotic walker directly, tangentially, or speculatively.
It is important to note that public policy and law may differ between countries, and policies applicable to one country may be less applicable to another. These documents focus on public policy in the United States; however, in the area of social policy for autonomous vehicles, the European Union policy was better formulated and more widely discussed.
- Assistive Technology Act of 1998, S.2432, 105th Congress, 2nd session (1998).
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A bill that establishes grants and funding to enable individuals to access life-improving technology, including walkers and wheelchairs. The findings and purposes in the header of this bill may be of especial interest to those developing new assistive technology devices. This bill was subsequently amended in 2004 but the spirit remains the same.
- US Administration on Aging (2000). Unofficial Compilation of the OAA as amended in 2000, retrieved October 24th, 2006. US Department of Health and Human Services.
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A document which nicely compiles all revision to the original Older Americans Act of 1965. The Older Americans Act of 1965 emphasized, among other things, helping the elderly achieve as much independence and security as possible. Of interest may be title IV, which focuses on transportation and independence for older individuals.
- Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, S.933, 101st Congress, 2nd session (1990).
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A watershed in rights for the disabled, it introduces a number of safeguards for people with disabilities. It also includes several provisions related to transportation, though it focuses on public or motor vehicle transportation and not on devices for individuals. This act was initially passed in 1990 and has been subsequently amended several times, though the general spirit remains true to the original law.
- US General Accounting Office (2004). CMS did not control rising power wheelchair spending (publication number GAO-04-716T), retrieved October 24th, 2006.
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A GAO finding discussing how federal government spending increased for power wheelchair in the 1990s. This resulted in a much-greater-than-expected layout for these devices than may have been intended, especially considering the fact that these expensive items are often the target of Medicare fraud.
- US General Accounting Office (2004). Program safeguards did not deter rising costs of power wheelchairs (publication number GAO-05-43), retrieved October 24th, 2006.
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A GAO finding discussing how subsequent government provisions failed to halt the increase in spending on power wheelchairs. It highlights the fact that the government is further concerned about fraudulent spending on such items, and that current government safeguards might not be adequate.
- Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2006 (Public Print), HR. 3010, 109th Congress, 2nd session, 2005.
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A line in this 2006 bill explicitly states that the department of health and human services must reduce spending on power wheelchairs by 1.5%. The federal government is taking deliberate action to correct what it sees as a source of fraud.
- US General Accounting Office (1995). Long Term Care: Current Issues and Future Directions (publication number GAO/HEHS-95-109), retrieved October 24th, 2006.
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This GAO finding discusses several of the ongoing challenges of elder care, and provides statistics about the number of people requiring long-term assistance. It provides an overview of the potential clientele for those using robotic walkers, and some possible concerns faced by the elderly.
- US General Accounting Office (1995). Assisted Living: attempts to improve protection (publication number GAO/HEHS-95-109), retrieved October 24th, 2006.
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This discusses the viability of various assisted living facilities, the alternative institutions to which people may be restricted without powerful new technology. Consumers often have difficulty understanding the elder care business, though the government provides relatively little in the way of oversight.
- US Administration on Aging (2004). Compendium on Active Grants, retrieved October 24th, 2006. US Department of Health and Human Services.
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A web site which lists numerous grants which make it possible for older Americans to participate in their communities, to the tune of 900 projects and $350B nationwide. Of special interest to the robotic walker community may be the priority III programs.
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, HR. 3103, 104th Congress, 2nd session, 1996.
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This act is one of the major acts in effects which deal with the protection of patient medical records. Multiple sections may be of interest for projects which may reveal a user’s location or may keep track of a user’s specific medical history.
- US Department of Health and Human Services (2002). Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Heath Information (publication number 45 CFR Parts 160 and 164), retrieved October 25th, 2006.
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This document lays out the current HHS standards for health information privacy. It is very dense, as it responds to public comments on health information rulings and provides clarification on several active laws.
- Van Der Heijen, Rob and van Wess, Kiliaan (2001). Introducing Advanced Driver Assistance Systems: Some Legal Issues, retrieved October 25th, 2006. European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research, 1(3), pp 309-326.
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This paper provides a relatively broad (though unfortunately, not very detailed) historical overview of some of the legal history regarding autonomous vehicles. It deals with highway vehicles and focuses on laws in the European Union, but these laws may become the basis of US law and may eventually apply to robotic wheelchairs as well.
Supporting References
- US Department of Justice (2006). ADA homepage: information and technical assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act, retrieved October 23rd, 2006. Web site: link
- US General Accounting Office (2004). Transportation Disadvantaged Seniors (publication number GAO-04-971), retrieved October 24th, 2006. link
- US General Accounting Office (2004). Privacy Standards: Issues in HHS rules of confidentiality (publication number GAO/T-HEHS-00-106), retrieved October 24th, 2006.
link
- US Administration on Aging (2006), US Administration on Aging website, retrieved October 25th 2006. US Department of Health and Human Services.
link
- National Center of Physical Activity and Disability (2006), The National Center of Physical Activity and Disability Home Page, retrieved October 25th, 2006.
link
- US Department of Aging (2006). Older Americans Act of 1965 History and Navigation, retrieved October 25th 2006. US Department of Health and Human Services.
link
- US Department of Justice, disability rights section (2005). A Guide to Disabilities Rights Laws, retrieved October 25th, 2006. US Department of Justice.
link
- US General Accounting Office (2004): Unsustainable trends to control spending and improve value (publication number GAO-04-795SP), retrieved October 25th, 2006.
link
- Medicare Improvement Act of 2003, S. 1, 108th Congress, 1st session, 2002.
link
- US Department of Health and Human Services, office for civil rights (2006). Office for Civil Rights – Privacy of Heath Records, retrieved October 26th 2006. US Department of Health and Human Services.
link
Public Health and Epidemiology
by Patrick Kelley
- Melzer, David, Grant Izmirlian, Suzanne G. Leveille, and Jack M. Guralnik.
Educational Differences in the Prevalence of Mobility Disability in Old Age: The
Dynamics of Incidence, Mortality, and Recovery. Journal of Gerontology:
SOCIAL SCIENCES 2001, Vol. 56B, No. 5, S294–S301
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This paper was interesting only because it discusses that there are differences in
education that correlate to mobility disability, which may require additional design restraints,
that would not be expected if the educational levels were expected to be normalized.
- Kaye, H. Stephen, Taewoon Kang, Mitchell P. LaPlante. Mobility Device Use in
the United States. National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.
U.S. Department of Education. June 2000.
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This paper is not an academic paper but is a full report on the actual use of Mobility
Assistance devices. This will be useful for providing relevant statistics on the number of
people who would benefit from a robotic walker.
- Hoenig, MD, MPH, Helen. Assistive Technology and Mobility Aids for the
Older Patient with Disability. Annals of Long Term Care: Volume 12, Number
9. September 2004.
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This report discusses variations in use of different assistive technologies, and also
glosses the debate over whether electronic scooters/wheelchairs cause patients to
give up their own mobility earlier than might be necessary.
- Hoenig, MD, Helen and Toni M. Cutson, MD. Assistive and Smart Technologies:
Improving Older Adults' Quality of Life.
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This report is a fair introduction to the use of assistive technologies in the lives of the
aging, including environmental modifications that may be necessary and a discussion
on the varieties of walkers.
- Tinetti, Mary E. Preventing falls in Elderly Persons. The New England Journal
of Medicine. Boston: Jan 2, 2003. Vol. 348, Iss. 1; pg. 42, 8 pgs.
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This report from the New England Journal of Medicine focuses on the problem of elderly
people falling and seriously injuring themselves. As the report states, with onethird
of people over 65 falling and injuring themselves, and many of these falls recurring,
a preventative strategy must be developed.
- Lacey, Gerard, BAI, MA, PhD and Shane MacNamera, BA. User involvement
in the design and evaluation of a smart mobility aid. Journal of Rehabilitation
Research and Developement. Vol 37 No 6. November/December 2000.
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This paper is an important paper based on actual work done in prototyping and designing
a smart mobility aid. This is an actual robotic mobility aid, and is mentioned in
the brief.
- Forlizzi, Jodi, Carl DiSalvo, and Francine Gemperle. Assistive Robotics and an
Ecology of Elders Living Independently in Their Homes. HUMAN-COMPUTER
INTERACTION, 2004, Volume 19, pp. 25–59
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This paper out of CMU discusses how robotic products added to the home environment
of the elderly could benefit them. Section 3.2 on the ways elders interact with
products is specifically valuable.
- McCreadie, Claudine, and Anthea Tinker. The acceptability of assistive technology
to older people. Ageing & Society 25, 2005, 91–110
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This paper relevantly discusses the accessibility of adding robotic products and assistive
technology into the homes of the elderly. It concludes with a list of tensions that
may be present given the inclusion of such technologies.
- Morris, Margaret, Jay Lundell, Eric Dishman. Catalyzing Social Interaction with
Ubiquitous Computing: A needs assessment of elders coping with cognitive
decline. CHI 2004.
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This paper focuses on the social needs and barriers to designing computing systems
for the elderly. Specifically this paper looks at concepts for how to actually interact in
social ways with older consumers.
- Miskelly, Frank G. Assistive Technology in Elderly Care. Age and Ageing
2001; 30: 455-458.
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A shorter discussion on developments in assistive technology and the benefits that assistive
technologies have over human care.
- Meng, Q., and M.H. Lee. Design issues for assistive robotics for the elderly.
Advanced Engineering Informatics 20(2006)171–186
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Rehabilitation Engineering
by Wanhong Xu
This paper and news collection is related to the problems arising
from applying robotics into rehabilitation.
First, there are more requirement for robotics to be used in
rehabilitation, like safety and re-programmable. Those papers and
news explain new requirements and discuss specific techniques or
solutions for those new requirements.
Second, using robotics in rehabilitation also causes ethnic problems
to the society. Those papers and news also discuss those ethnic
problems.
- Neil Osterwel, Rehab Methods Equally Good at Restoring Walking
Ability, medpage Today, online news, Feb, 2006.
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This brief compared a method involving body-weight support on a
treadmill versus
an over-ground mobility with the goal of restoring walking ability of
patients with incomplete spinal cord injuries back on their feet and
walking.
- Kevin Bullis, Robotic Rehab: Chicago PT wants to help stroke
survivors learn to walk again, MIT Technology Review, September 2005.
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This article emphasizes that robots should allow patients to make
mistakes safely. and also robots should be able to re-programmed for
letting patients bear more weight and move more freely when they get
stronger and more coordinated.
- Steven Dubowsky, Frank Genot, et al, PAMM - A Robotic Aid to the
Elderly for Mobility Assistance and Monitoring: A "Helping-Hand" for
the Elderly. In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on
Robotics and Automation, pages 570--576, 2000.
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This paper describes the concept of a system, which provides a
robotic aid of mobility assistance and monitoring to the elderly.
Specially, this paper lists different physical and cognitive needs of
patients with different causes.
- Birgit Graf, Martin Hagele, Dependable Interaction with an
Intelligent Home Care Robot, In Proc. of the IEEE Int. Conf. on
Robotics and Automation 2001.
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This paper empahasizes the safety is the most essential issue in
order to get people to trust and live with the robotic assistant.
This paper further discusses specific safety issues that should be
considered, and solution that had been accepted by some projects.
- Robert Riener, et al, Human-Centered Rehabilitation Robotics, In
Proceedings of 2005 IEEE 9th International Conference on
Rehabilitation Robotics.
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This paper presents a new human centered robotic approach, which uses
the "patient-cooperative" strategy. This strategy considers the
patient's intention and efforts rather than imposing any predefined
movement such that the proposed approach can improve the therapeutic
outcome compared to classical rehabilitation strategies.
- Andrew J. Rentschler et al, Intelligent walkers for the elderly:
Performance and safety testing of VA-PAMAID robotic walker, Journal
of Rehabilitation Research and Development, Vol 40, No. 5, September/ October 2003.
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This paper presented the test on a robotic walker, including safety
factors, stability, energy consumption, fatigue life and sensor and
control malfunctions.
- Hyeon-Min Shim, Eung-Hyuk Lee, et al, Implementation of an
Intelligent Walking Assistant Robot for the Elderly in Outdoor
Environment, In Proceeding of the 2005 IEEE 9th International
Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics.
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This paper proposes an architecture of walking assistant robot for
the elderly which is usable at outdoor environment, and this paper
also discusses the main functions that this architecture requires.
- William S. Harwin, et al, A Review of Design Issues in
Rehabilitation Robotics with Reference to North American Research, In
IEEE Transactions on Rehabilitation Engineering, Vol. 3, No. 1, March
1995.
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The paper reviews past and present work, and tries to identify the
key features that have led to the success or failure of devices.
- Choon-Young Lee, Development of Rehabilitation Robot Systems for
Walking-Aid, In Proceedings of the 2004 IEEE International Conference
on Robotics & Automation.
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This paper presents a mobile gait training system with body support,
and shows that the system mobility is important for gait
rehabilitation because users enjoyed using it for real walking.
- Paolo Dario, et al, The past, Present and Future of
Rehabilitation Robotics: An Ethical View from Pioneers of the
Research, a roundtable discussion in the 9th International Conference
on Rehabilitation Robotics, 2005.
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In this discussion, a lot of questions, which relate to robotics and
their use in society in the realm of rehabilitation, have been
discussed. Those questions include "Will robotics replace the jobs of
therapist", and "what are the ethical implications of the integration
of robots into these various therapies or their regimes".
- Matthew Spenko, et al, Robotic Personal Aids for Mobility and
Monitoring for the Elderly, in IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems
and Rehabilitation Engineering, Vol 14, No. 3, Sep, 2006.
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This paper compares two rehabilitation devices for mobility and
monitoring, and presents the existing challenge, the large size and
non-holonomic constraints of those systems pose important
maneuverability limitations, and the existing question, the nature of
control between the assistive device and a human user who might have
diminished physical and cognitive capabilities.
- Aaron Morris, et al, A Robotic Walker That Provides Guidance, In
Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and
Automation (ICRA), 2003.
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The paper proposes that providing assistance with navigation and
global orientation is also important for a robotic walker.
